Donald Trump, a used wet nap, was inaugurated less than a month ago. For many, it feels like hundreds of years, but the toll those days have taken on Trump’s counselor Kellyanne Conway is increasingly visible.
Once the golden girl for spinning ludicrous threads of deluded bullshit, including her coinage of the term “alternative facts,” Conway has recently experienced some setbacks. After giving Ivanka Trump’s line of unpopular clothing a “free commercial” on air, which may have broken a federal law, she was reportedly “counseled” by the administration. The Office of Government Ethics did not find this to be a sufficient, and has recommended she receive disciplinary action.
On Tuesday morning, Conway appeared on the Today Show in an attempt to work her magic on the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and Trump’s supposed knowledge of Flynn’s communication with Russian diplomats. Instead, she got beat down by Matt Lauer, who responded to her usual word soup with, “Kellyanne, that makes no sense.”
CNN reported on Wednesday that in addition to her major public mess ups, Conway is struggling behind the scenes. As the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer is a competing face for the administration and for camera time. While he also has a very contentious and easily mocked relationship to the press, unnamed sources are blaming some of his difficulties on Conway. Leaks suggesting that Trump is unhappy with Spicer’s work are allegedly coming from her:
Many people sympathetic to Spicer in and out of the White House believe otherwise. Five of these sources think the person behind the leaks is Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s ever-visible White House counselor. Though they offer no hard evidence, they say Conway is trying to offload blame for administration setbacks on Spicer to prove she is the more effective public advocate and earn a lasting place in the President’s inner circle.
“She’s clearly guiding a press narrative that he’s not up for the job, and that they’re reviewing other candidates,” one GOP strategist said. “It’s becoming abundantly clear that Kellyanne is making Sean’s job impossible.”
Conway denied these reports, saying she was offered the job of press secretary and turned it down, so she has no reason to undermine Spicer. She also said, “I’m trying to reduce my television exposure.” It may be that Conway will no longer be exposing herself on TV because shows won’t book her.
It seems incredible that anyone from Trump’s administration could be so thoroughly discredited that his supporters would turn on them. Even Conway’s Bowling Green Massacre fiction has stuck with some people as the truth. Networks and shows are starting to respond by not giving her the opportunity to make up more stuff on air. Earlier in February, CNN tweeted in response to Conway, that they passed on her appearance due to her credibility issues:
At that point, Mika Brzezinski of Morning Joe jumped in:
Brzezinski co-hosts with (and possibly makes love to) Joe Scarborough, and Mediaite reports that they devoted a segment on Wednesday morning to Conway, and their refusal to have her on the show. In it, Brzezinski alleges that Conway books herself on programs by texting to schedule herself:
But after what Brzezinski calls a never-ending cascade of “fake news, [and] information that is not true,” the MSNBC anchor is saying no more.
“I know for a fact she tries to book herself on this show; I won’t do it,” Brzezinski said Wednesday morning. “Every time I’ve ever seen her on television, something’s askew, off, or incorrect,” Brzezinski continued.
“I will say: Kellyanne Conway does not need to text our show, just as long as I’m on it” the Morning Joe cohost continued in the 6 a.m. hour Wednesday, “because it’s not happening here.”
The Morning Joe co-hosts have been accused in the past of supporting Donald Trump. Scarborough in particular was hanging with Agent Orange, though he did renounce him to some degree, but continues to be a big creep. On this morning’s show, Scarborough also denounced Conway, though he seems more confused by her continued relevance than angry with her lies.
“And again, I don’t even think she’s saying things she knows to be untrue, she’s just saying things just to get in front of a TV set and prove her relevance because behind the scenes,” Scarborough said, “She’s not in these meetings.”
“Why does the president keep allowing her to go out and spread misinformation?” he wondered, as do we all.